# Cigar Beetles Prevention and Treatment



## JuJuMan16 (Apr 6, 2009)

I would like to create this post to provide others info on how to prevent a cigar beetle outbreak and how to handle it in case its too late. First i would like to thank all BOTLs here at Puff for helping me get rid of my bugs.

The first thing you want to do is get to know your enemy, Lasioderma serricorne

So how does it end up in your humidor you may ask?

At one point, the beetles will lay eggs on the cigar leaves, which will got through the manufacturing process and then end up rolled into cigars. Some manufacturers make the effort to provide us with a high quality cigar, and they will go the extra mile to get rid of eggs / bugs before it gets to the consumers. Unfortunately not all of them think the same, and even for the ones that do can find it difficult to completely get rid of them. The main reason why cigar beetles hatch is because at one point, including manufacturing, transport or storage, the temperature hits the sweet spot for them to hatch. According to scientists, that ideal temperature is above 65 degrees. The hatching and maturing process from egg / larvae / beetle can take from 1 1/2 to 2 months depending on the temperature.

So how can you help yourself and keep your investment under control?


Keep an eye on the temperature changes in your humidor. Make sure that during the hottest time of the day the temperature inside your humidor does not go too high. Keep it away from the sunlight, in the coldest spot of the house. If your humidor has a glass top or front panels, remember that glass is not a great insulator. This can be bit hard living in a warm climate, believe me, i know.
Know what you are sticking into your humidor before you do so. Do a bit of research on the cigars you stick in your humidor, you can always ask around and compare peoples experiences.
I think I might have beetles, or I received cigars from unknown sources. How can I confirm it?


The most common way for people to realize they have bugs is by finding holes on their cigars. It looks like someone drilled a small hole on the wrapper of the cigar, about 2mm in diameter.
The second way is by finding little piles of "cigar dust". This is the beetle's crap after munching on that nice and expensive limited edition cigar you have aging in your humidor. You can also tell if a cigar has beetles by gently tapping the foot of the cigar and dust falls out of it. Believe me, you can tell when its just small lose pieces of tobacco and when its the dust.
The third way, which is how i discovered my problem is by actually seeing the beetles walking around your humidor. They are brown in color and about 1/10 of an inch. It can be difficult to spot, and they normally walk around at night / dark. At that point you can kill it and begin to take all your cigars out and separate the bad ones and the ones that might have bugs. You can look for holes on the wrapper or foot and do the tapping test and look for dust.
This picture shows both the holes and the dust.










I have beetles, or I am getting cigars from unknown sources and would like to take precautions.

When in doubt, freeze them.


You need to make sure that your refrigerator does not affect the moisture of your cigars, so you need to double bag the cigars in freezer bags. I went ahead and followed Shuckins' advise and double bagged them and put them in an empty cigar box to further prevent freezer burn, although according to others it is not necessary.
Stick them in the refrigerator for 1 day first, you do not want to give your cigars a temperature shock or they can get damaged in the process. After a day stick them in the freezer 3 - 5 days. According to Wikipedia, "_L. serricorne_ cannot tolerate the cold; adults die within 6 days at 4 °C, and eggs survive 5 days at 0-5 °C", so you can determine how long to freeze them. After the freezer, back to the fridge for another day before taking them out and letting them rest in the humidor. The key to success is acclimation.
Don't worry, freezing them will not affect the cigars or the taste. It is the best way to make sure all eggs / beetles are exterminated.
The cigars that are too damaged you can throw them away, or spray the with alcohol and burn them out of anger like i did.
Clean the inside of your humidor, I used a vacuum.

After this process, give your cigars some time to rest. I personally would let them sit for two months.

Please feel free to add, correct, or contact me. I would like for others to learn from my experience and yours, and hopefully keep their collection safe and bug free.


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Thanks for posting this up. Well worded. In four years I've never seen one and I sincerely hope I never need to read this info again. :-D


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## tobacmon (May 17, 2007)

Very good read and thanks for the pointers.I was sent a box of these buggers and PM'd the guy that sent them. I was in a frantic & he did not intentionally send them knowing they were infected....I removed all of the lovely's and started damage control. Since then I have been checking all of my smokes. You never know.


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## fybyoyo (May 7, 2009)

Damn, I always get paranoid when I read a beetle thread.


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

fybyoyo said:


> Damn, I always get paranoid when I read a beetle thread.


You and me both. And since I am at work right now it's going to be the end of the day before I can inspect mine to satisfy my paranoia 

JuJuMan16 - Thanks for the pictures of the dust in particular, I've seen holes before (in a CC Cohiba Silgo IV at a B&M of all places) but not the dust. Is that the volume that can come out of one cigar?


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## JuJuMan16 (Apr 6, 2009)

96Brigadier said:


> JuJuMan16 - Thanks for the pictures of the dust in particular, I've seen holes before (in a CC Cohiba Silgo IV at a B&M of all places) but not the dust. Is that the volume that can come out of one cigar?


If you let it get to it yes. My buddy left one of his to be devoured just for fun and it looked like a brown swiss cheese bar. From my experience, if you can see holes, you will see a lot of dust.


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## 96Brigadier (Oct 20, 2009)

JuJuMan16 said:


> If you let it get to it yes. My buddy left one of his to be devoured just for fun and it looked like a brown swiss cheese bar. From my experience, if you can see holes, you will see a lot of dust.


Thanks for the info, appreciate it. I feel better now about the whole dust thing, always wondered what it truly looked like so it is good to know that I'll know it if I ever see it.


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## Magnate (Nov 27, 2009)

Great post! Rep for you!


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## LincolnSmokes (Nov 5, 2009)

That is excellent information. Thanks for the head's up. I've read stuff about these before, but I think I really understand it all now. Thanks for helping us out.


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## jsnake (Oct 6, 2009)

Great information and a wonderful post that should be stickied!


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## DoctaJ (Aug 10, 2007)

Great informative post! I'm always paranoid about it happening to me one day:tape: At least I will know what to do if it does to prevent too much damage


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## BriBoy01 (Jan 3, 2010)

Great post. I gave you Rep Points, well I guess here it is called Ring Gauge. As a newbie posts like this that lay information out plan and simple are one of the reasons I love this forum Thanks!


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## tambo_cigars (Dec 11, 2009)

Hi Carlos,
Here half way around the world in Indonesia we at Tambolaka Natural Tobaccos use a very similar method to prevent cigar beetles. First it must be said that as cigars are a natural organic product they are and will always be subject to the threat of natural and organic pests. Here at Tambolaka Natural Tobaccos we utilize two methods to destroy the threat that the beetles may pose. We do not use chemical sprays under any circumstances as we take the word "natural" in our name very seriously. First our cigars are placed in vacuum chambers where the air is pumped out and the pressure reduced to the point that any eggs within the tobacco will likely explode and thus be destroyed. I would assume the depressurization also is not too good for the live beetles that may be present. We then place the cigars into cooling units and onto freezers just as you suggest. Avoiding the sudden change of temperature is important but as you say, if done gradually, freezing is not a problem. After these treatments our cigars are segregated for two months of curing away from all other cigars. In this way any persistant infestation is discovered without further contamination. Finally our Tambo cigars are then placed in our walk in humidors and sample boxes are checked weekly for any evidence of beetles. Any box is also thouroughly inspected at point of sale as that is final assurance that the client is getting a great box of smokes he/she will not have to share with beetles. We sell some of the finest cuban cigars and we find about a 2% destruction rate even on the most costly cigars. Beetles do not care how much the cigars they munch may cost.

Thanks for sharing the freezing trick with the readers here as it is a good one. If you happen to work in a lab with a pressure vessel that's a good trick too, but the best way to avoid beetles...smoke your cigars before anything has a chance to get to them before you do. Best to all, Balibob

“I have made it a rule never to smoke more that one cigar at a time.” Mark Twain


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## fybyoyo (May 7, 2009)

tambo_cigars said:


> Hi Carlos,
> Here half way around the world in Indonesia we at Tambolaka Natural Tobaccos use a very similar method to prevent cigar beetles. First it must be said that as cigars are a natural organic product they are and will always be subject to the threat of natural and organic pests. Here at Tambolaka Natural Tobaccos we utilize two methods to destroy the threat that the beetles may pose. We do not use chemical sprays under any circumstances as we take the word "natural" in our name very seriously. First our cigars are placed in vacuum chambers where the air is pumped out and the pressure reduced to the point that any eggs within the tobacco will likely explode and thus be destroyed. I would assume the depressurization also is not too good for the live beetles that may be present. We then place the cigars into cooling units and onto freezers just as you suggest. Avoiding the sudden change of temperature is important but as you say, if done gradually, freezing is not a problem. After these treatments our cigars are segregated for two months of curing away from all other cigars. In this way any persistant infestation is discovered without further contamination. Finally our Tambo cigars are then placed in our walk in humidors and sample boxes are checked weekly for any evidence of beetles. Any box is also thouroughly inspected at point of sale as that is final assurance that the client is getting a great box of smokes he/she will not have to share with beetles. We sell some of the finest cuban cigars and we find about a 2% destruction rate even on the most costly cigars. Beetles do not care how much the cigars they munch may cost.
> 
> Thanks for sharing the freezing trick with the readers here as it is a good one. If you happen to work in a lab with a pressure vessel that's a good trick too, but the best way to avoid beetles...smoke your cigars before anything has a chance to get to them before you do. Best to all, Balibob
> ...


Not sure how other manufactures are trying to help prevent the beetles but I only hope they take as much care as your company.

P.S. On your website, that is the coolest pipe I've ever seen.


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## JuJuMan16 (Apr 6, 2009)

tambo_cigars said:


> Hi Carlos,
> Here half way around the world in Indonesia we at Tambolaka Natural Tobaccos use a very similar method to prevent cigar beetles. First it must be said that as cigars are a natural organic product they are and will always be subject to the threat of natural and organic pests. Here at Tambolaka Natural Tobaccos we utilize two methods to destroy the threat that the beetles may pose. We do not use chemical sprays under any circumstances as we take the word "natural" in our name very seriously. First our cigars are placed in vacuum chambers where the air is pumped out and the pressure reduced to the point that any eggs within the tobacco will likely explode and thus be destroyed. I would assume the depressurization also is not too good for the live beetles that may be present. We then place the cigars into cooling units and onto freezers just as you suggest. Avoiding the sudden change of temperature is important but as you say, if done gradually, freezing is not a problem. After these treatments our cigars are segregated for two months of curing away from all other cigars. In this way any persistant infestation is discovered without further contamination. Finally our Tambo cigars are then placed in our walk in humidors and sample boxes are checked weekly for any evidence of beetles. Any box is also thouroughly inspected at point of sale as that is final assurance that the client is getting a great box of smokes he/she will not have to share with beetles. We sell some of the finest cuban cigars and we find about a 2% destruction rate even on the most costly cigars. Beetles do not care how much the cigars they munch may cost.
> 
> Thanks for sharing the freezing trick with the readers here as it is a good one. If you happen to work in a lab with a pressure vessel that's a good trick too, but the best way to avoid beetles...smoke your cigars before anything has a chance to get to them before you do. Best to all, Balibob
> ...


Hey Bob, thanks for giving us some insight on how manufacturers can fight this issue. I always wondered what methods they used, and you sure make the extra effort to provide a bug free cigar.

I will check out your site and see what goodies to add to my 2010 wish list.


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## zeavran1 (Aug 18, 2009)

Great info. Thanks for putting it all together. Looks like it took some time.


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## mrsmitty (Jan 22, 2009)

Thanks for posting this. I just moved my cigars back in the humis after 6 days in the freezer.


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## tambo_cigars (Dec 11, 2009)

Hi Mike,
Thanks for your comment on the pipe. As a manufacturer I must walk a thin line here as dont want to sound like a salesman, and I want to follow the rules, but seeing you asked about the pipe I will tell you the story. I often find myself in the deepest backwoods of the most remote islands of Indonesia in search of unusual tobaccos. Most of the natives smoke their tobacco by rolling it in a corn husk or whatever else they can get their hands on and I must say that makes for a very hot puff. So one day I was walking on one of the thousands of empty beaches that abound in Indonesia when I spotted what the locals call a ice cream cone shell. As so happens my pipe had broken on the boat trip to this island so I was desparate for something to smoke with. I took the auger tool of my swiss army knife and began to dig at the small tip. Finally I broke through and after a bit of cleaning I stuffed some tobacco in the big end and drew at the new hole I had created at the tip. Well the smoke that came out was incredibly cool and the tobacco taste was no longer altered by the taste of a wooden pipe.

Well to make a long story short, I made several alterations to strengthen the shells natural bowl and added a water buffalo horn mothpiece and some gold and silver doodads and the seashell pipe was born. I use it to get the pure taste of any tobacco I test now. It is cool of course because of the long and winding path the natural shape of the shell forces the smoke to take. It is equivalent to smoking a 18inch long pipe, like the chinese used to do. That is a cool smoke too but a bit hard to carry in your pocket. I love mine and we sell quite a few here in the islands mainly to pipe collectors. You are quite right it is cool on many levels.. Thanks for noticing. Balibob

"It has always been my rule never to smoke when asleep, and never to refrain when awake.” – Mark Twain


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## jamz (Mar 29, 2008)

Great info, thanks! This is also one reason why mine always stay in the wrapper till I'm ready to smoke them.










*second reason: I'm lazy


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## bazookajoe (Nov 2, 2006)

jamz said:


> Great info, thanks! This is also one reason why mine always stay in the wrapper till I'm ready to smoke them...


Unfortunately, beetles can and do chew through cello. It may slow down a munchfest but doesn't prevent it.


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## JuJuMan16 (Apr 6, 2009)

So you guys have an idea of what the Larvae look like. I kept a cigar isolated, even though it didn't show any signs, i knew it would go bad, it comes from the same place. Sure enough, from the time i started my other bug freak out post till now, this is what i found










A tad closer










There was a hole on the side of the wrapper. A quick cigar dissection and the little sucker was was like 3 millimeters inside the hole.


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## DoctaJ (Aug 10, 2007)

bazookajoe said:


> Unfortunately, beetles can and do chew through cello. It may slow down a munchfest but doesn't prevent it.


I actually wondered how a cello would affect it as well. Sad to hear it doesn't really impede them very much if it happens


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## Matthias (Dec 24, 2009)

Here are to good links on freezing I received from a BOTL on a swedish forum:

http://www.smcs.se/Meet the beetles, by Frank Seltzer - Cigar Magazine summer 2008.pdf

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id...jUtMmU5ZS00YzkxLTg4MDUtNmNiZTQ5NzJjNjcy&hl=en


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## eyesack (Jul 19, 2009)

Sticky this please!!! =D Great information and writeup Carlos, and other contributing brothers. Indeed Dr. Jeff, I wish I had saved the cello from my affected cigar.

Really good stuff here guys. =D


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## sonick (Jan 30, 2007)

I went on a week's vacation once; prior to leaving I threw a couple singles I had bought in the singles tray in my humidor. A j. fuego connecticut and 601 red. I came back after a week to find that beetles had bored into almost every loose cigar I had. probably 400$ of smokes aged 2+ years. All kinds of good, unique smokes. 

After cleaning up that mess, I installed a "staging" or 'segregation' humidor, where cigars spend a couple months before going into the main humidor. They are checked daily for signs of beetles. 

I NEVER thought it would happen to me. It only took one cigar to ruin my singles in a week. I don't know if it was the j.fuego or the 601 that was the carrier, I THINK it was the 601. I'll never know for sure though. 

Scary stuff


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## Magnate (Nov 27, 2009)

There's a J Fuego in my box from a PIF... I'll get up now and go look... 

dammit, freakin' me out...


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## sonick (Jan 30, 2007)

Magnate said:


> There's a J Fuego in my box from a PIF... I'll get up now and go look...
> 
> dammit, freakin' me out...


sorry man! lol. But hey, you never know......

I went years without an incident, then pow!

all cigars now go via purgatory!


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## Magnate (Nov 27, 2009)

SAFE!


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## sonick (Jan 30, 2007)

Magnate said:


> SAFE!


sweet!


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## tambo_cigars (Dec 11, 2009)

Hi Sonic,
The hard reality of the cigar beetle is that no cigar is safe from infestation. The very fact that the introduction of a single beetle infested cigar into you humidor led to such a rapid infestation event proves this. Additionally those who live in warm climates can attract the infestation from the environment and no cigar is to blame. Also, dont kid yourself by thinking if you buy only top end cigars from the most reliable sources you are safe. The truth is we sell the most expensive GENUINE cubans in our shops in Indonesia and yet we lose about 2% to beetles upon arrival from Cuba. Even our own Tambo's that we know undergo extreme measures of depressurization and freezing to avoid infestation still, on occasion are found to be infested upon arrival. That is why one should never purchase a cigar unless you are sure each and every stick is being visually inspected AT THE MOMENT OF SALE! 

But of course even that does not mean the cigar is not carrying an egg just ready to hatch inside. Thus I think your idea of segregating newly obtained cigars for a period of at least two or three months is a wonderful plan. Yes it may mean buying another humidor but that cost pales in comparison to the shock of seeing a total infestation of your prized smokes. Frequent and regular inspection of your collection is also essential in the hope that you may find and remove a single infested stick and still have time to freeze the others before more damage can be done.

Finally, you should all know that any infested cigar can still be enjoyed. Here in tropical Bali, we often receive infested sticks back from hotels and dining establishments we serve because some of them do not store the cigars as well as they should. I certainly do not throw them away. To do so would be a crime. I repair and smoke them by simply gluing a bit of wrapper tobacco over any hole and smoking away. I use a local tapioca based adhesive but you can use any food grade adhesive, even the glue on the back of a postage stamp to attach the wrapper leaf (you get wrapper leaf everytime you clip a cigar) to cover the hole. The purpose here is not for looks but to stop air leaks. I have neither died of beetle smoke nor have I noticed any real change in flavor. The momentary cremation of a miserable beetle will not keep me from enjoying a fine smoke.

Yes it does not look impressive to smoke a patched up COHIBA at the annual board meeting, but if you are a smoker because you love a fine stoagie then looks mean nothing in the sublime moment when you and your smoke are the only two entities left on this planet. Enjoy... Balibob

“I must point out that my rule of life prescribed as an absolutely sacred rite smoking cigars and also the drinking of alcohol before, after, and if need be during all meals and in the intervals between them". Winston Churchill


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## Arge (Oct 13, 2009)

Carlos, Thank you for the great information. Deseved RG upgrade.


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## freespirit (Sep 14, 2008)

Geez..! How can this be happening..gotta a beetle that hate two sticks in my vino-temp ???.


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## JuJuMan16 (Apr 6, 2009)

You probably got them with the bugs already hatched. Freeze them quick, and good luck.


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## JackH (Aug 13, 2009)

JuJuMan16 said:


> So you guys have an idea of what the Larvae look like. I kept a cigar isolated, even though it didn't show any signs, i knew it would go bad, it comes from the same place. Sure enough, from the time i started my other bug freak out post till now, this is what i found
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## JuJuMan16 (Apr 6, 2009)

I actually torched him, lol.


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## jolyrogger (Jan 7, 2010)

i think this thread should be stickied.. there is a lot of information on here that beginner smokers probably don't know about. when i first started this hobby i had no clue that there were tobacco beetles till i joined the forum and found this thread.

just my 2cents..


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## JuJuMan16 (Apr 6, 2009)

jolyrogger said:


> i think this thread should be stickied.. there is a lot of information on here that beginner smokers probably don't know about. when i first started this hobby i had no clue that there were tobacco beetles till i joined the forum and found this thread.
> 
> just my 2cents..


Or perhaps a new post that can cover many topics in one. From the famous "How do i season my humidor" to different sizes, flavors, parts of a cigar, care and maintenance, bug prevention and so forth. On that post we can link it to another thread that goes more into detail. Someone new to the hobby can always do a search, but it would be nice to have one post that can cover many things. We sticky that one and you got yourself a "Puff's guide to everything you need to know in the hobby". Is that ok with the mods?

I wouldn't mind doing it if no one objects. As soon as i recover from having all 4 wisdom teeth extracted and the vicodin wears off that is.


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## mrsmitty (Jan 22, 2009)

I froze all my cigars, and anything new thats been coming in goes straight to the freezer. Makes me feel better not to worry about these pesky beetles.


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## socapots (Feb 22, 2010)

good topic man
I had the bugs in some smokes i had a while back. before i actually had a humidor. ended up throwing out the batch
They were some dominican cohibas i think. had pics somewhere. dunno what i did with them though.


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## kRaZe15 (Jan 25, 2010)

great info. nice to know what to look for and more over what to do in that situation. i get paranoid after reading beetle posts also but now know what to look for. thanks again.


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## jaypulay (Feb 21, 2010)

Great read Carlos, nice when someone takes the time to help educate other BOTL and noobs like myself!! Much appreciated!!


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## Scardinoz (Mar 15, 2010)

I think I'll preemptively freeze any new additions to my inventory before putting them in the humidor with the rest of them.

This may sound silly but there's one more thing that bugs me: I freeze the cigars and any larvae or beetles inside die. Cool, right? I light up and enjoy my cigar. Am I smoking dead beetles?

This is where somebody makes me feel silly and says, "Of course not because what happens is..."

Ready.
Go.


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## socapots (Feb 22, 2010)

Scardinoz said:


> I think I'll preemptively freeze any new additions to my inventory before putting them in the humidor with the rest of them.
> 
> This may sound silly but there's one more thing that bugs me: I freeze the cigars and any larvae or beetles inside die. Cool, right? I light up and enjoy my cigar. Am I smoking dead beetles?
> 
> ...


well what actually happens....
yeah.. you smokem.. haha. sorry dude. 
hwell:


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## drake.c.w. (Feb 7, 2009)

You should see the faces of people who don't know this bug exists when you're at a tobacconist or B&M telling them about those little mo'fo's. It's hysterical.


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## socapots (Feb 22, 2010)

haha.. i can only imagine..
it still gets me when i think about it from time to time. haha..


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## tambo_cigars (Dec 11, 2009)

No beetle cremation is going to stop me from enjoying a fine stoagie! I even will glue on a piece of tobacco I cut off when I cut my cigar to block the holes that might have been made and can enjoy the cigar just fine. Here in Bali we have about a hundred hotel and club accounts where we replace any cigars that might get infected as many of the clubs are not as careful as they should be with storage here in the tropics. Well you can bet those fine stoagies do not get tossed out they go right to my private stash and are soon enjoyed. The other day I caught a lovely cuban Trinidad (about a $45 stick here) with two holes. Well let me assure you it was still a fine smoke after a toothpick dab of postage stamp glue and a tiny piece of wrapper tobacco was applied. Don't let the beetles win! You're bigger than them! Balibob

“You should hurry up and acquire the cigar habit. It's one of the major happinesses. And so much more lasting than love, so much less costly in emotional wear and tear. “ Aldous Huxley


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## Perdomo4President (Jun 25, 2010)

So, here's my question: I've got a humidor with about 100 premium cigars. 

Like an idiot, I took a "cuban" from a friend who got them from a friend in the dominican. Well, in addition to finding out the "cuban" wasn't really a cuban, i also found beetle holes in it. i don't see holes in any other cigars and I've obviously removed the fraudulent cuban. 

How likely is it that I'm infested even though I don't see signs of it yet? Is it possible that I caught the problem before I blew up? should I watch for more signs and then react? should I overreact now, just in case?

I'll never, ever make this stupid mistake again.


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## Scardinoz (Mar 15, 2010)

I had to freeze a 2 year old+ Montecristo Tubos that I was saving for a special occasion. I took it out of the freezer, let it rest in the fridgerator, and finally placed it back in the humidor. A few months later I lit it up and it was lovely. No splitting, and no humidity issues I might have feared.

In short, I would say "If in doubt, freeze them out". Five days in the freezer won't do them any harm and may save you many stogies.


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## tambo_cigars (Dec 11, 2009)

Perdomo4President said:


> So, here's my question: I've got a humidor with about 100 premium cigars.
> 
> Like an idiot, I took a "cuban" from a friend who got them from a friend in the dominican. Well, in addition to finding out the "cuban" wasn't really a cuban, i also found beetle holes in it. i don't see holes in any other cigars and I've obviously removed the fraudulent cuban.
> 
> ...


Hi from Bali,
I would not run out and freeze all the cigars in my humidor because I found one cigar beetle present in a very recent addition to my stash. I agree wholeheartedly with Zach that when in doubt freeze them out is a good idea and in hindshight that would have been called for with the unknown cigar you were given, but that is far from recommending that you freeze every stoagie in your collection everytime you spot a hole in a cigar. Keep you eyes peeled and rotate your cigars to be sure you have no more bad boys in the mix. But if nothing appears than you dodged the bullet.

Cigar beetles are a fact of life with every cigar made on this planet and anyone who tells you different simply has not seen enough cigars born, made or passed through a tropical climate. If a beetle hitchhiker equals a bad cigar than you can forget about all cuban cigars as we often see them present in good and bad cubans. If you do find a cigar label that never ever can be infested than I would ask what chemical are they dumping on my stoagie. If the the bettle won't live in it do I really want to put it into my mouth?

The beauty of a fine cigar is at least in part the fact that it is a natural organic product. If you want chemical additives for your stress relief see you doctor for a prescritption and suffer the consequences, if you prefer a natural organic alternative than accept that once in awhile you will share a stick with a beetle. By the way it is easy to repair any beetle hole in a cigar by glueing a tiny patch over the hole and smoking away. Have done it many many times and have not died of beetle inhalation yet! I have though enjoyed lots and lots of fine stoagies....smoke on, Balibob


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## jimsta10 (Apr 29, 2015)

Scardinoz said:


> I had to freeze a 2 year old+ Montecristo Tubos that I was saving for a special occasion. I took it out of the freezer, let it rest in the fridgerator, and finally placed it back in the humidor. A few months later I lit it up and it was lovely. No splitting, and no humidity issues I might have feared.
> 
> In short, I would say "If in doubt, freeze them out". Five days in the freezer won't do them any harm and may save you many stogies.


Hi Guys,

i'm very new to cigar smoking and collecting. This is a great forum BTW!

Reading all comments made makes a newbie like myself wonder, should I just put all my new cigars into the freezer before the humidor? or should i just monitor as suggested by tambo_cigars?

I do have another question if i may, I have a wine fridge that has a temperature of about 16'C - 17.5'C (60.8'F - 63.5'F) can i place my humidor in my wine fridge? The humidor will have all the necessary humidifiers averaging from 69%-72%. Will this be OK to do?

thank you so much in advance.

Jimmy


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